Chiller-fan coil is a universal air conditioning system. In warm seasons, it cools the room, in cold seasons, on the contrary, it heats. From other systems maintaining the microclimate in the room, the chiller-fan coil is characterized by constant air circulation in the room. At the same time, the air itself is not taken from outside. In this sense, a chiller-fan coil is a closed and universal system for heating and cooling rooms.
Chiller-fancoil is a system that is suitable for any premises. It is scalable and highly efficient, which is why it is most often used in large premises - in public buildings, in business centers, or in private residential buildings.
Content
The device of the chiller-fan coil system
The device of the chiller-fan coil system
The system consists of three main mechanisms:
- central chiller;
- fancoils;
- pump.
The central chiller is a cooling machine that is installed on the roof of a building. Inside the chiller is water or other liquid (in cold weather - antifreeze), which is constantly cooled and heated by the unit. These processes are parallel, since the chillers have two water circuits.In summer the water is cooled, in winter it is heated.
The liquid in the chiller is used by the fan coil units. Fancoils are heat exchangers that are installed indoors. Unlike conditional central heating batteries, fan coil units are also equipped with a fan. These fans draw air from the room into the fan coil unit and it is heated or cooled inside the unit. After that, the fan is blown out, and the air of the set temperature is again in the room.
The liquid from the chiller is fed into the fan coil through pipes. Typically, fan coil units are equipped with two or four pipes. Through them, the liquid from the chiller constantly circulates through the fan coil units.
Two-pipe models of fan coil units work only for cooling, four-pipe models - for both cooling and heating. Due to the fact that water flows into the fan coil unit continuously, heating or cooling does not stop, and the desired temperature is constantly maintained inside the room.
The pump is another indispensable element of the chiller-fan coil system. It is the pump that is the link between the chiller and the fan coil units, and it is the pump that determines the efficiency of heating or cooling the room.
In addition to the main components, chiller fan coil units must have a control system. It is like a central control unit that regulates the operation of the pumping station and the chiller. The control system allows you to select the operating mode of the chiller (heating or cooling), and also controls the intensity of the pump.
Fancoils operate either in manual or automatic mode.In the first case, you can manually control the supply of cold or hot water to the unit, in the second, this process occurs automatically thanks to the thermostats installed in the fan coil units, which measure the air temperature in the room and regulate the operation of the device in accordance with these data.
What are chiller-fan coils and how do they differ
First of all, different models of systems differ in the size and power of chillers and pumps. These are key elements that affect how and where this system can be used. There are small pumps and small chillers for individual heating of private houses, but even more often large pumping stations and large chillers are produced for heating and cooling large rooms.
Chillers also differ in functionality. Some chillers can only cool water, others can also heat it. The condenser inside the fan coil unit can be cooled by both air and liquid.
Fancoils differ in the way of installation: there are wall, floor and ceiling units. In addition, fan coil units are two-pipe and four-pipe - for cooling or for cooling and heating rooms, respectively.
Advantages and disadvantages of the chiller-fan coil system
Chiller-fan coil is a universal system. It allows you to both heat and cool the room, which means that thanks to this you do not need to use separate systems for different seasons (for example, an air conditioner for summer and a boiler battery for winter).
Chiller-fan coil is characterized by high efficiency and safety. Even in the event of an accident, the maximum that threatens the premises is flooding with water.However, fan coil chillers with due attention can be operated all year round for many years, and serious breakdowns will not occur.
This system can be scaled to any extent. An infinite number of fan coil units can be installed, the main thing is a chiller of sufficient volume and a pump of sufficient power. Chiller-fan coils can also be upgraded at any time: add new fan coils, change a pump or a cooling unit.
This system also has disadvantages:
- Firstly, the cost of a unit of thermal energy generated by a chiller is quite high - higher than when heating with the same gas boiler.
- Secondly, the chiller-fan coil system is effective for large rooms. There is definitely no place for it in apartments, and in private houses - only in rare cases, and even then, the choice of individual models of such a system on the market is small.
Organization of the system
Chiller-fan coil is a complex system. In practice, this means that the individual elements of the system (chiller, pump, fan coil units) are selected based on the tasks for which they will be used.
Fan coil units are selected, firstly, based on what function they will perform (only to cool, or also to heat - two-pipe or four-pipe), and also based on design considerations (installation method - wall, floor, ceiling).
A chiller-fan coil is a system that can only be installed on an individual project. Usually, specialized companies are engaged in the purchase of all necessary equipment, installation and further maintenance of the system. They also help to organize the work of the system from an engineering and design point of view.
There are many models of fan coil units, chillers, pumps, and therefore they are selected individually for each of the cases. It is impossible to simply purchase equipment and install it, as this will also require work with communications inside the building.
Popular system models
Given the difficulties that accompany the work with the chiller-fan coil system (they are mentioned above), it makes no sense to consider some popular models of fan coil units, pumps or chillers. All these are niche units that are not so common in Russia.
Let's also take into account the fact that there are no ready-made solutions in the case of a chiller-fan coil unit (all elements must be selected separately according to an individual project).
Based on this, it is obvious that it is pointless to rank popular models. Chiller, fan coils, pipes, pumps - all this is ordered separately and mounted in accordance with the project. Chiller-fan coils are not air conditioners that can be easily bought and easily installed without drawing up detailed projects and without serious financial investments.
Questions and answers
The choice of individual chillers and small pumps on the market is small, which is why such a system can be used, at best, only in a large house. In addition, heating a room in winter with such a system is more expensive than others. For large buildings, this is not critical, but for owners of private houses, this can become a serious obstacle.
Yes and no. Chiller fan coil units are quite capable of operating in severe frosts, but instead of water in the chiller, you will have to use non-freezing liquids.When heating, fan coil units do not take air from outside the building, which means that the circulating air will be easier to heat up and the temperature inside the room is also easier to maintain - the outdoor climate does not affect the operation of the fan coil unit in any way. Fan coil units will cope with heating, but the cost of such heating will be higher than that of analogue systems.
Yes. The system has high efficiency and heating-cooling efficiency. In addition, fan coil chillers require minimal maintenance and can function all year round. From the point of view of profitability, chiller-fan coils lose in the sense that heating with them will cost more than with the same gas. On the other hand, it is easier to maintain a universal and single heating-cooling system than two or more systems, and it pays off in the long run.
Conclusion
Chiller-fan coil is a universal space cooling-heating system that is suitable for large buildings or large private houses. Its advantages are high efficiency, economy, safety and reliability, as well as scalability and the ability to upgrade. Such a system perfectly replaces central heating or other methods of heating and cooling, air conditioning. Its disadvantage lies in the slightly higher cost of work compared to other systems, and also in the complexity of organizing its work.
Video review of how the chiller-fan coil works
